The Angel vs The Light
by TheSparkstarScope
Summary: (Set after the events of Azure Striker Gunvolt. Recommended to play before reading.) The demonic corporation's projects were believed to have run short. However, he who claims to be the messenger of heaven must descend once more to uncover and confront their final experiment. His faith shall be questioned by humanity's lust for power.


It was late night. The main Sumeragi buildings were inactive. Security had drastically weakened ever since Gunvolt took on the entire conglomerate, all on his own. The battle against their numbers was rough, but successful. Three months later, the results were evident.

"... Things have changed. To think that it was by that monster's hand..."

The azure spark's rival, Copen, stood still atop a residential building, observing the large skyscraper that was once crowded with employees, test subjects and the like. The Sumeragi Group really had fallen down.

"The Glaives that they once used, these damned catalysts... They're powerless. To think that that lightning devil would singlehandedly stop them... Regardless, this is the perfect time to strike, Nori."

The hooded white avenger placed his left hand on his ear, utilizing a communicator to speak with his loyal assistant, and held his large shield with his right hand.

"Copen. I'm still detecting many soldiers in there. Do you think that it is a good idea to infiltrate the headquarters, on the fly?"

"No. It isn't. I have my eyes set on other place... Their central warehouse. I've built most of my own technology, but to finish the Battle Pod's EX-Weapon System, I will need one piece of theirs: The actual device that they used to restrain their unholy powers... A Glaive. I couldn't discover how they worked with the fragments on their own..."

"Got it. Copen, begin the infiltration... And keep your guard up."

Nori agreed to send Copen map data for said warehouse, and left him to his own thoughts once more. He lifted his shield-crossbow and jumped off, utilizing his prototype jet boots to hover down to ground level.

"One of your own devils sent judgment towards your way... But God's eternal will must remain burning."

About a hour later, Copen had managed a way into the warehouse. Security was...

"... Non-existent. Did that monster really take this high of a number of henchmen...? Nori, do you copy?"

"...Cope... Updating map d... Energy re...ngs... Bel.w..."

The connection was cut short. However, Copen had just enough time to receive the data update in a pair of black tech glasses that he wore as a HUD system for the mission. Nori's last words in the transmission left him concerned about what was in that place, so he tried to discover the source of the supposed readings.

"The tracker isn't detecting anything... At all. They must have a signal jammer somewhere in here. But what happened with the security?"

He didn't understand. Nori wouldn't either, if she still had connection to him. He decided to dwell deeper, while still focused on the objective. As he went further down, the number of soldiers drastically increased. Copen took them down with kicks and punches.

 _"Hmph! Something is going on in here. Why weren't they at the entrance?"_

The badly lit hallways felt like they wouldn't end. Copen kept moving down... He was probably deep underground at that point. Doors were easy to knock with his Bullit Dashes, until he got to a large, black locked gate. It had a neon green fluid bubbling through transparent pipes around the metal. It was quiet, until he reached the murky door. Loud slams approached the Adept Slayer from a dark area of the room. Further steps revealed it to be a Mantis-type Sumeragi tank. A robotic voice took control of the silence.

 **"Generation-10 OS operational. Beginning elimination of target."**

"A tenth gen? No wonder they thought reinforcements weren't needed... Something IS happening beyond this door, is it not?!"

It replied by firing a laser on Copen, who wasted no time to avoid. He took out his shield, in crossbow mode, and to his surprise, the Glaive fragments were still active, so he got to counter with a Lazy Laser. It was enough to chop off some of the armor plating, but not much.

 _"These shards are all that remain from the monsters, and yet they're still active?"_

Copen went for a Million Eater, and that also worked. The flies generated with the Septima were slowly chewing through the tank and missiles fired down. To complement, the hooded fighter also shot a light beam, which pierced through the Mantis' armor and uncovered its core. Quick green blades were fired at it as well, and just as the tank was about to try another laser, the exposed core was stabbed by the swords.

 **"Error: Damage critical. Final gambit engaged."**

The legs hummed loudly, and the tank tried to crash into Copen. He was, of course, fast enough with the boots to leap over it and watch as the Mantis hit the door and exploded, detonating it completely.

 _"This is the best weapon they can afford, these days...? That was barely a challenge._ "

The final room was silent, share for the dripping dhattered pipes and a large computer that was turned on. He carefully snuck in and examined the screen.

"Holy Pillar Project...? So this must be the reading that she had detected. Test subjects confirmed... Seven. Abnormal clone tube behavior? What in the..."

The screen pointed towards a dark green button. Copen pushed it, and lights turned on with his gasps in surprise: There were seven broken capsules, oozing a green fluid out, behind the computer, which was now displaying the body of a green haired Adept named Jota. Were those thugs realizing cloning experiments...? His line of thought got interrupted by the voice of a holographic figure of the leader of Sumeragi, Nova Tsukuyomi.

"This is the Holy Pillar Project. The light that will shine atop Babel: The perfect Adept. A super soldier, so to speak. We of the Sumeragi Group are all on behalf of our shining beacon, Jota, for participating. With him, our promised land shall become reality! Adepts and humans alike shall live under control of the Blinding Alliance! We will-" *bzzzt*

"... The display is busted. Just like their minds... What were those fools thinking?! Replicating a monster who thinks he has the powers of holy light, and performing God's work?! I need to warn Nori."

The silver gunner prepared to leave, after retrieving data from the computer into a flash drive. Before leaving, he realized another detail: There were several corpses of dead Sumeragi numbers all over the floor. They were killed by something with sharp fangs, but he couldn't point out exactly what. Behind the fourth capsule, however, a pair of amber eyes opened amid the darkness.

"Hee heeee... On behalf of... Nova... I, Jota... Will have the first taste of his flesh! Heeheeheeheeeh!"

"Huh, what?"

Copen lifted his shield and his revolver up, and whatever was in the shadows managed to leap at him. His shield gave him just enough time to charge up another Greed Snatcher shot and fire at the rabid human. It was stunned, on the floor, spazzing out. On closer inspection, it looked a lot like the Jota on the monitor screen. However, this one had a topaz yellow and black armor, with a lime green tinted hair.

"HeeheehEEAAAHH! JoootaaaAaAa... I am... Stratos... No... I am... Soldier... Perfect... Eaaaaterrrrrr..."

"You... What is wrong with you?!"

Before the silver haired boy could try another strike, the security alarm of the room triggered once more. Copen had no other choice but to abandon the thing, seen as how he had not retrieved one of their Glaive technologies just yet.

"You demon... God's judgement shall rain down on you in due time!"

That was, although inconvenient, very helpful. All enemy readings were headed towards that floor, so Copen got to utilize his Bullit Dashes to climb the air ventilation system onto the floor where their devices were kept. Once his mission was successfully finished, he didn't hesitate in exiting as soon as possible, and was almost immediately greeted by his navigator, once more.

"Copen? Just in time. Something in this warehouse is...

"Nori. Begin research on the Holy Pillar project, on the double! That Gunvolt... He did not terminate all of them."

"... Understood. Return now."

Humans still wouldn't quit playing God, Copen thought. "They've cloned one of their hotshots... Why? Why would they need more firepower, if they had the entirety of our country on their hands?!" The answer was expectable.


End file.
